Fire-escape.



N0. 785,301. PATENTED MAR. 21,1905.

J. FTTGER.

FIRE ESCAPE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19.1904.

Patented March 21, 1905.

PATENT ()FFICE.

JOSEPH FFIGER, OF NEW YORK, Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE- SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,301, dated March 21, 1905.

Application filed September 19, 1904. Serial No. 224,942.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH FI'JGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, (Manhattan,) county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fire-escape which permits the safe and quick descent of endangered persons from the upper stories of a burning building to the ground floor or cellar, from whence their escape may then be effected.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through a building provided with my fire-escape; Fig. 2, a front view of the fire-escape, showing the building in section; Fig. 3, a cross-section on line 3 3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a cross-section on line 44:, Fig. 1, showing the trap-door raised; Fig. 5, a similar crosssection with the trap-door lowered, and Fig. 6 a detail of part of the trap-door.

The letter A represents a building having floors a a a a, &c. Through these floors there extends from the roof to the cellarfloor A a vertical fireproof shaft or tunnel B. This shaft is composed, preferably, of sheet metal and is of circular form in cross-section. Access to the interior of the shaft is obtained at each story by means of a fireproof door I), extending down to the floor-level. The doors 6 are shown to be hinged at Z) and may be securely closed by latches Z2 Centrally through the shaft B there extends an upright pole c, which reaches. from .the roof to the cellar-floor A and is also preferably made of fireproof material.

The shaft B should be of a diameter to conveniently accommodate a person and permit him to slide down along the pole to the ground. Thus a safe and quick descent Within a fire and smoke proof inclosure is at all times insured.

In order to permitthe descending persons to be landed either on the ground-floor or in the cellar, I provide the shaft B with a trapdoor 0Z, hinged at d to a segmental back plate d, secured to the inner side of the shaft B on a level with the ground-floor a. This door has a slot (Z to accommodate pole c and has a curved front and straight sides, Fig. 5. To these sides there are hinged at (Z segmental lids d, which form complements to the door, the whole, together with plate d, constituting a circle. If the persons are to be landed on the ground-floor, the door (Z is lowered to rest upon a suitable support 0Z and the lids d are folded down to form a partition across the shaft on a level with the floor a. Should a landing be desired in the cellar, the lids are folded up and the door is raised to leave an unobstructed passage within the shaft from the roof to the cellar. It will thus be seen that persons may readily lower themselves to that one of the two bottom landings which is free from fire or smoke, so that in this way a rapid escape from any one of the top stories to the safest of the two bota trap-door hinged to said plate, and segmental lids hinged to the door, substantially as specified.

Signed by me at New York city, (Manhattan,) New York, this 17th day of September,

JOSEPH FUGER.

Witnesses: 1

WILLIAM SoHULz, FRANK v. BRIESEN. 

